Critics argue that the electoral code should not be changed in an election year
Poland’s parliament late last night adopted an amendment to the electoral code aimed at increasing voter turnout in this year’s parliamentary elections, a move the opposition says is illegal and will benefit the ruling party.
Under the new law, more polling stations will be created in villages with up to 200 permanent residents, while buses will have to be deployed to transport voters over 60 with mobility problems if public transport is not available.
Critics argue that the electoral code should not be changed in an election year, citing a Constitutional Court ruling that prohibits the introduction of major amendments six months before an election is called.
The bill would need to be approved by the Senate and signed by the country’s president to become law, so it likely won’t take effect within that timeframe.
Poland will hold parliamentary elections in October or November and although the ruling Law and Justice party, which has strong support among older and rural voters, is still leading, its popularity has begun to decline in the wake of the crisis with the cost of living.
The leader of the largest opposition party, the Political Platform, said changing the regulations in an election year “violates the basic principles of democracy”.
“If Law and Justice is ready … to manipulate the electoral law in order to increase its electoral chances, it is easy to imagine that it will be capable of another type of manipulation,” said Donald Tusk.
Rizard Terlecki, head of the ruling party’s caucus, said the sole aim of the changes was to increase voter turnout.
Party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski said last October that the government wants to build several thousand more polling stations “so that citizens who will leave church (on Sunday) can vote.”
Analysts say the impact of the new regulations on election results is difficult to assess at this stage, but such changes introduced so close to an election date are illegal and difficult to enforce.
“Our research shows that it will not increase turnout, the impact will be negligible… if it was an honest idea, it would mainly increase the number of polling stations in densely populated areas, in cities,” said Anna Materska-Sosnowska, policy scientist at the University of Warsaw.
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